Technicians for Sustainability

How does the company you are nominating exemplify the concept of “reducing”?

TFS works to reduce consumption and waste in everything we do. TFS has worked with staff, customers and our supply chain to reduce excess and waste in the process of carrying out our mission of powering our community with solar. With over 50% of the staff commuting by bike each day for the last decade, as well as the implementation of a green fleet for all business driving, TFS has managed to significantly reduce pollution from vehicles on the road. The TFS green fleet includes hybrids, a solar-powered all-electric car, the most fuel-efficient trucks, as well as a bike trailer fleet. The clean energy systems we install reduced 3,305,873 lbs of CO2 from the atmosphere last month alone! That’s over 110,000 lbs every day! We’re also pleased to report that solar systems installed by TFS are saving nearly 9 million gallons of water from being used to generate electricity annually. That’s what we call reduction!

How does the company you are nominating exemplify the concept of “reusing”?

We learned early on that there was a lot of room to improve on the reuse of materials and resources in our industry and in our company. We do the basics, like purchasing office supplies made with post-consumer content. But we’ve also gone beyond, to find “next users” for resources from our activities, such as the wood pallets our solar panels are shipped on. We’ve worked with various vendors and provided these pallets at no cost to them, so they may be reused for years to come. The cardboard pieces from our shipments are reused each year as “wings” in Tucson’s Procession of Little Angels. Our office desks are made out of structural components left over from solar energy systems. At our annual customer appreciation event, and open house events, we serve over 300 guests on reusable plates and glasses , to avoid the waste associated with disposables (we even lend the out for other companies to do the same- let us know if you are in need!).

What is this company’s recycling policy and practice?

Even sustainable technologies, like solar energy have at least some left over products that can be recycled. We have committed time and resources to recycling nearly all of the by-products, including wire, metal, cardboard, and plastic. Just this year, we worked with an outside recycling manager to find a system to recycle the plastic strapping that bins that pallets of solar panel when they are shipped. While a seemingly small piece of waste, we are committed to getting as close as possible to recycling 100% of our left-over products.

How is this company engaging and informing consumers and employees about the 3 “Rs” and other sustainable practices?

We have built sustainability and environmental stewardship into the DNA of our company from day one. Through this structural and mission-driven operation, we have offered outreach and education to the Southern Arizona community on topics ranging from energy and water conservation, to conservation building and site design, to operating as a sustainable company. Our principles of reducing, reusing and recycling are built into our operating practices, our employee handbook, and most importantly in our day to day conversations. What is great about TFS is that it is not just commitments set out by the company leaders, but initiative from employees in all areas of the company (and sometimes even customers!) that continue to move us along the path of becoming more and more responsible stewards of our resources.

What else would you like us to know about this company?

As Technicians for Sustainability, we are a Tucson based, locally-owned, mission-driven company specializing in renewable energy and sustainable technologies for residential and commercial settings, since 2003. The systems we install include solar electric and solar hot water systems. We are located just north of downtown Tucson in the historic West University neighborhood, at 612 N 7th Ave.

Our mission is to help you translate your environmental values into a practical reality. We install high-quality, clean, solar electric and solar hot water systems that are built to last. Our goal is to ensure that Southern Arizona’s natural resources are used efficiently and with respect for present and future needs. Committed to practicing what we preach, we live with the systems we install, make fuel-efficient transportation choices, and whenever possible, do business with companies that hold values, standards, and ethics comparable with ours.